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LAFAYETTE – Tippecanoe County cases of confirmed coronavirus went up another two, bringing the total to 42 since March, according to figures release Friday morning by the Indiana State Health Department.

There were more than 550 new cases in Indiana, which posted 6,907 as of Friday, according to state figures.

The death toll climbed to 300, which was up by 55, a 22 percent jump in one day, since Thursday.

Tippecanoe County’s rate of 2.2 cases per 10,000 people continued to grow slower than the state rates, which stood at 10.2 cases per 10,000, as of Friday. In Marion County, the rate was 27.5 cases per 10,000 people.

Here were the numbers for Tippecanoe County’s direct neighbors, according to Friday’s report.

Montgomery County: 20, up 1. County officials, though, on Friday reported that Montgomery County, just south of Tippecanoe County, had 22 cases. The difference between the county’s numbers and the state’s figures was not immediately clear.

Warren County: 2, unchanged.

Fountain County: 3, up 1.

Benton County: 0.

Clinton County: 11, up 1.

Carroll County: 4, up 1.

White County: 3, unchanged.

Jasper County: 15, down 1. The change was not explained by the state, though the health department has said numbers have been adjusted as investigations are completed.

Newton County: 7, up 1.

The state reported that 35,040 tests had been reported to ISDH, up from 32,133 on Friday.

Dave Bangert

DIY masks recommended, but won’t make you ‘invincible,’ county health officer says

One question asked often at the Tippecanoe County Health Department’s coronavirus hotline is: Should I wear a mask?

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A statue of John Purdue, the founder of Purdue University, is seen wearing a Purdue surgical mask, Tuesday, April 7, 2020 in West Lafayette.(Photo: Nikos Frazier | Journal & Courier)

Dr. Jeremy Adler said the county health department was following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which were updated a week ago to recommend that the public wear cloth masks when going out into public to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

Adler said that was important when “other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain – for example, the grocery store or the pharmacy.”

“It’s important to note that, even with a mask on, we must still practice social distancing and our other measures for preventing infection,” Adler said. “These masks do not make us invincible to coronavirus. And we still need to do all these other things to protect ourselves.”

Previously, the county had urged people to save the more robust n95 masks for medical professional and first responders who needed them. Adler said that recommendation stood.

Dave Bangert

After Clinton County’s first death, doctor urges community to ‘redouble your resolve’

A day after the state reported the first coronavirus-related death in Clinton County, Dr. Stephen Tharp, the county’s health officer based in Frankfort, pleaded with the community to stick with social distancing guidelines laid out by doctors and that stay-at-home orders from Gov. Eric Holcomb.

“We are all sorry for this event, and there are no words to explain this tragedy,” Tharp said in a letter posted on the Clinton County Health Department’s site.

“This is ultimately the reason we are giving up our freedoms by avoiding exposure to this virus,” Tharp said. “I thank all of you, knowing that it is your sacrifice that has kept this loss from occurring earlier. It is our best tool for saving more lives.”

Details of the death in Clinton County had not been released by the county or the state, as of Friday morning.

“Now that we have crossed the next threshold of this pandemic, I ask you to redouble your resolve to prevent your own illness and stop the spread to others,” Tharp wrote.

His advice:

Stay home.

Wash or sanitize your hands at least four times a day.

Sanitize frequently touched surfaces like doorknobs and keyboards.

Keep a social distance of six feet if you have to be out.

Wear a cloth mask when you leave your home.

“I am writing this the evening of Maundy Thursday,” Tharp said. “This is the Easter season, and I am reminded that on the first Easter the outlook was very dim. Just like then we face a time of distress for many of us, but we have the promise of better times to come.”